814-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, December 16, 1995
LOU ANN GOOD
Lancaster Farming Staff
PERRY HALL, Md.
readers who clip recipes from Lan
caster Fanning, the name Hazel
Spamer is a familiar one.
But Hazel does much more than
submit recipes of what she calls
“plain, simple stuff.”
At 71 years of age, she has been
named a field editor for Birds and
Blooms, a national magazine that
celebrates bird feeding and back
yard living.
Hazel serves as one of the maga
zine’s local lookouts, a volunteer
field staff that keeps readers
abreast on what’s blooming,
what’s flying, and what’s happen
ing outdoors in their respective
communities.
“When I was a teenager, my sis
ter, brother, mother and I often
roamed the woodlands that border
Little Gunpowder River, now gone
back to nature as a part of the Gun
powder State Park,” Hazel said of
the reason for her great affinity
with nature.
“As a married lady and the
mother of two children, I carried
on the wonderful experience of
roaming our woods, which borders
the Big Gunpowder Falls about 12
miles from my father’s farm.”
The Spamers live in the farm
house where Will was bom. The
farmhouse lintel inscription reads
“1827.” Elmer Spamer, who pur
chased the farm in 1881, added a
left wing. His brother Jasper,
added the right wing.
When the Spamers first married.
Will was a truck farmer.
“Later, he got into com. wheat,
and hay and did custom harvest
ing, traveling all up and down Bal
timore County,” Hazel said.
In 19S0, Will learned to fly and
persuaded his father to allow him
to bring the plane home and fly
from the farm. Will and many
other pilots enjoyed the private
landing strip. Sometimes para
chute jumpers practiced at their
farm.
“Will enjoyed flying after the
farmwork was finished and spent
all his spare time in rebuilding and
in building several single engine
planes,” Hazel said.
.'8 horn*,
er’s pai Jlse. Elmer Spamer purchased the homeand 200 acres in 1881. Elmer ad.
the left pan of the house and his son Jasper added the right side to accomodate sever
al single sisters..
What’s Flying , What’s Blooming?
Hazel Shares Her Backyard Beauty
Traditionally, the Spamer farm
was passed down through the fam
ily. Will always fanned with his
father who owned the farm with
the understanding that the farm
was to be passed on to him. When
his father died, some of Will’s
siblings wanted their share of the
inheritance money and the Spam
ers were forced to sell most of the
200 acres for development. With
his share of the inheritance, Will
purchased the house and 15 acres.
The Spamer home is in a
wooden area filled with wildlife.
For
Hazel is no longer able to roam
the fields that she once loved
because a calcium depletion condi
tion resulted in osteoarthritis in her
knees. But that doesn’t keep her
from birdwatching and container
gardening.
Flowering trees, bushes, and
colorful flowers can be admired
from her windows and in backyard
leisure. Her prolific daffodil beds
have been expanded many times.
“Daffodil bulbs may be had for
the digging,” Hazel said.
“I don’t know that 1 can say that
I have a favorite flower. I love
them all, but the tiny wishbone
torenia and pansies are lovely.”
When the children outgrew the
swing set. Will fastened four bird-
At a lookout for “Birds &
Blooms,” Hazel Spamer will
keep readers abreast on
what’s blooming and what’s
flying in her community.
houses across it Now squirrels and
birds chase each other up and
down the framework. It’s this view
that offers much insight into the
appearance of rare birds.
“But I’d have to say that my
favorite bird is the robin with
his busy scratching and going on.”
Hazel said.
From her observations, Hazel
will report anything of value to
other people.
Terns in the area are building
nests on the flat roofs of large
buildings because the tern’s natur
al habitat is endangered. She plans
to report on the terns for the
magazine.
Will has a large garden, which
he needs to enclose with a 6-foot
high fence to keep out deer and
foxes.
The garden produce supplies
four families. Hazel continues to
preserve much of the produce.
During a severe illness. Hazel said,
“I got up off my sick bed to can
three baskets of tomatoes because I
could not bear to see beautiful
tomatoes go to waste.”
She still has three tomatoes from
her garden sitting on her
windowsill.
Hazel said that she learned to
cook from her mother. She looks
forward to making mincemeat and
fruitcake this season.
“Because Will does not like to
mix his food he wants his broc
coli anc cheese served separately,
not together I make just plain,
simple food,” she said.
“I love to make a turkey. I just
canned 12 quarts of broth and meat
to have for future meals frotn two
turkey carcasses left over from
Thanksgiving.”
Hazel doesn’t allow her two
walking canes to prevent her from
leading a normal life. She often
babysits and said, “My two canes
are much enjoyed by my 2-year*
old great grandson.”
The Spamers have three grand
children and four great grand
children.
Hazel enjoys making ceramics
and uses her son’s kiln and many
molds. She also enjoys plastic can
vas stitchery. She writes some
poetry and is dabbling in creative
Hazel and Will Spamer celebrate 52 years of marriage.
Both share a love for wildlife, although Will Is perfectly con
tent to stay at home while Hazel likes to keep active In the
community.
writing. Naturally, her poetry is
about nature.
Development in the area
brought an onslaught of problems
fen* the Spamers. Motorcycle and
snowmobile riders cut fences in
order to have a throughway. Even
though the horses escaped, the cul
prits couldn’t seem to comprehend
why they shouldn’t have free run
of the land.
“People roaming through on
motorcycles think they have all the
right in the world. We asked them,
‘How about we come and play in
your yard?’ Of course, they said,
‘Oh no. You can’t do that’
“Except for my daughter’s
horses, we finally just gave' up
boarding horses,” Hazel said of the
frustration of dealing with broken
fences.
In her lifetime, Hazel has work
ed as a plant nursery seasonal
worker, a rural mail carrier, and as
an aide for aged persons.
Hazel is active with the local
chapter of the American Associa
tion of Retired Persons, where she
will take over responsibility for the
newsletter in January.
She is a former secretary
treasurer for Baltimore County
Farm Bureau.
She is incoming secretary for
the Baltimore County Family
Community Education (formerly
Christmas
LANDIS VALLEY (Lancaster
Co.) —Christmas caroling at
Landis Valley will be held Tues
day, December 19, 6-8:30 p.m.
Enjoy a free program of touring
decorated buildings, 7 p.m. caroll
ing around a bonfire accompanied
by the Lititz Moravian Trombone
AMERICAN DAIRY ASSOCIATION*
Extension Homemakers) and
works with the Christian Women’s
Fellowship and senior’s group at
the Fork Christian Church, where
she has been a member for 50
years.
The challenge to keep active in
the community and do for others
motivates Hazel. One of her
delights is growing amaryllis to
give for gifts.
“I love to watch them grow and
figure other people do too.”
To sum up her life. Hazel said,
“I lean on the Lord for all my
direction.”
Jeff Nowak of Birds and
Blooms, said that Hazel was
selected from a pool of almost 300
applicants nationwide because of
her knowledge of backyard birding
and gardening.
The magazine is geared to “reg
ular folks” who love to spend time
in their backyard and turn it into
their personal paradise. It’s about
“beauty in your own backyard”
and reflects readers’ interests with
relaxed, conversational writing
and top-quality photographs of
birds, blooms, and other backyard
scenes.
For more information about
Birds and Blooms, which is part of
Reiman Publications, write to its
headquarters at S92S Country
Lane, Greendale, WI 53129.
Caroling
Choir, and cookies and'hot cider.
Outstanding museum store. Dona
tions of canned food, etc.
requested for Lancaster Food
Bank. Landis Valley Museum is
located 2.S miles NE of Lancaster
on Rt. 272/Oregon Pike. Call
(717) 569-0401.